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Code changes outlined to make NYC buildings safer for the next Hurricane Sandy

quinn-nyc.jpg

"Inadvertently, we actually have things in the law that prevent many businesses and residences from doing what they know they should do," said Council Speaker Christine Quinn at Thursday's announcement. "We need to take those out."
(Christine Quinn via Twitter)

A slew of proposed building code changes could mean future
structures in New York City will be better suited to face storms like Hurricane
Sandy.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, City Council Speaker Christine
Quinn and the Urban Green Council rolled out the findings of the city's
Building Resiliency Task Force, convened by Bloomberg and Ms. Quinn in the weeks
after the storm.

"We learned a lot and we're going to make sure that we do
not forget those lessons," Bloomberg said of the city's experience with Sandy.

Changes to city code, once they go into effect, would apply
only to new buildings -- or those requiring a substantial rebuild.

Among the proposals for single-, two-, and three-family
homes is requiring new and replacement windows and doors to wind resistant. The
city would also recommend -- but not require -- that homes be anchored to their
foundations.

"Homes should be strapped to their footings, so they don't literally
wash away," said Russell Unger, executive director of the Urban Green Council. "Nobody
should be coming back to the neighborhood because of being evacuated for
flooding and see their house lying in the street."

Custom requirements would be developed for attached homes
that present "unique challenges," according to the report.

Ms. Quinn said the Council would act quickly on proposals
that called for code changes -- and for proposals that called for removing
quirks in the law, typically zoning requirements, that make it hard for
homeowners to make their homes more resilient.

"Inadvertently, we actually have things in the law that
prevent many businesses and residences from doing what they know they should do,"
Ms. Quinn said. "We need to take those out."